Mmm....Zebra!

Yesterday was Jason's birthday. Like most men, he is extremely difficult to buy for. So, this year, I didn't even try. Instead, I took him out to dinner.

One of Aidan's classmates is from South Africa. Her dad had told me about an African restaurant in the area they had tried. He raved about how authentic it was. They served ostrich, kudu, zebra and other African delicacies. It sounded perfect for my game-loving husband! Who says we can't have a "Wild Game Dinner" here?

So, I surprised him with going there. I was a bit nervous, since I'm not into eating crazy animals, but I figured it's his birthday...I can always eat something when we get home.

The place itself is really tiny and not very busy. We were there for over 2 hours (the Swiss certainly don't rush you through a meal) and there were only 3 tables, counting us, the whole time we were there! The owners are a Swiss man who married a Kenyan woman who does all the cooking. They were very friendly; both of them came to our table a few times to explain the menu, cooking style, etc. They let us taste 3 different wines before selecting one and even give everyone an African apertif (no charge) for dessert. I don't think I've ever had such personal service!

The place smelled so good, even I ventured away from the "safe" chicken. I ordered ostrich. Jason had the mixed grill-ostrich, kudu, and zebra. We also had pan-fried casava which they said is African french fries. I have no idea what casava really is, but it was REALLY good! As for the meats, I tried them all. My ostrich was good, but WOW! the zebra was amazing! It is kind of beef-like but more tender than any filet I've ever had. We both agree that it was by far our favorite meat. The apertif was nice too, kind of an apricot flavored creamy schnapps. The owner told us that elephants try to knock these apricot-like fruits off the trees. They eat them and get a bit drunk! He said it's pretty funny to see elephants stumble around.

It was a great meal. We'll definitely take some adventurous visitors there! Anyone up for zebra?? The next time I watch Madagascar with the kids, I'll have a better understanding of why Alex the lion wants to take a bite out of Marty the zebra! Mmm good!